reboot Cheatsheet

By Dejan Panovski •Updated on • Download PDF

Quick reference for rebooting and scheduling restarts on Linux

A quick reference for rebooting Linux from the command line. Covers immediate reboots, force options, scheduled restarts with shutdown, and how to cancel a pending restart.

Immediate Reboot

CommandDescription
sudo rebootReboot immediately
sudo systemctl rebootReboot via systemd
sudo shutdown -r nowReboot immediately via shutdown

systemctl Options

CommandDescription
sudo systemctl reboot --forceSkip graceful shutdown if unresponsive
sudo systemctl --no-wall rebootReboot without broadcasting a wall message
sudo systemctl --message="reason" rebootLog a reason in the system journal

Schedule with shutdown -r

CommandDescription
sudo shutdown -r +5Reboot in 5 minutes
sudo shutdown -r 10:00Reboot at 10:00
sudo shutdown -r +10 "message"Reboot in 10 minutes with a wall message
sudo shutdown -rReboot after 1 minute (default)

Cancel and Status

CommandDescription
sudo shutdown -cCancel a scheduled reboot
last rebootShow reboot history
uptime -sShow current boot time
journalctl --list-bootsList all boot sessions